Missouri: a bit on edge after a week of tornadoes (AUDIO)

Missourians could be excused for being a bit on edge after a deadly week of spring storms.

We asked State Emergency Management Agency Operations Chief John Campbell if the storms of this week have made Missourians a bit gun-shy.

“I think that possibility certainly exists,” Campbell answers.

Campbell says it appears everyone, throughout the state, took Wednesday’s storm warnings seriously. Several people took shelter when tornado sirens sounded in west-central and southeast Missouri.

“So, yes, I think there is heightened sensitivity and awareness, if you want to call it gun shyness,” Campbell tells the Missourinet.

That could be a beneficial outcome from a deadly tragedy. Campbell says awareness is the key to safety during severe storms.

“Just pay attention to the weather daily,” Campbell advises.

It seems Missourians did just that mid-week when severe storms threatened much of the state and produced tornadoes in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia as well as several towns in the southeastern portion of the state.

Campbell notes that forecasting has improved greatly and the National Weather Service has a variety of tools available to get warnings out. Keeping up is important.

“The weather’s very dynamic and conditions change on very short notice,” Campbell says.

Joplin had only 20 minutes notice. Forecasters predicted well in advance the tornadoes that hit throughout Missouri Wednesday.